“Yesterday.And unless I miss my guess, this is a deliberate tactic on his part to keep my partners and me from buying the ranch.”
“That’s stooping pretty low, Ry.I can believe he’d carry on about the curse to discourage you, but lie about petroleum drums?I doubt it.”
Her defense of Whitlock irritated him.Whitlock wasn’t really a rival, but Ry wished Freddy would be a little less generous with her opinion of the guy.“Then I’d appreciate it if you’d set him straight.Unless you want to help him in his obstructionist cause.”He paused, then said, “Maybe I should ask that first, and not make any faulty assumptions.How do you stand on my purchase of the True Love?”
Hurt shone from her hazel eyes.“Do you really have to ask?”
He was instantly contrite and reached for her.“I’m sorry.Really sorry,” he said, pouring his heart into his gaze.“If you still wanted to stop me, last night wouldn’t have happened.”
“No, it wouldn’t.”
So now she trusted him, with herself and her ranch, which were almost the same thing.He felt a sharp stab of guilt that she still didn’t know his ultimate plans.He’d look for a good time to tell her and make her see that selling the ranch was the most sensible course of action for everyone concerned.Somehow, he’d work through her initial resistance to the idea.He had to.Too much was at stake now.
“We’ll go to the house and call Eb,” she said.“I’m sure this is a big misunderstanding.”
Ry didn’t think so, but he kept his opinion to himself this time.He’d love to be proven wrong.
ChapterSixteen
When Freddy entered her office and walked around behind her desk, Ry remained leaning in the doorway, his hat shoved to the back of his head.They hadn’t talked much on the way back to the ranch house, as if each knew an argument could easily break out over the subject of Eb’s character.
She picked up the receiver and glanced at him.“I know what you think, but Eb would not say something like this unless he believed it was true.”
Ry’s expression gave nothing away, but he didn’t agree with her, either.
Freddy punched in the Whitlocks’ number.She knew it by heart.She’d spent hours over there as a child, back when Eb’s wife, Loraine, was still alive.Eb and Loraine had been childless, and so they’d become honorary aunt and uncle to the Singleton girls, especially after Freddy and Leigh’s mother died.Ry didn’t know all that history, and besides, he was from New York.New Yorkers were famous for their suspicious natures.
Eb’s housekeeper, Doreen, answered the phone.“Sure, I’ll get him, honey,” she said.“He’s just out back working on the horseshoe pit he wanted to put in before the next party.”
Freddy smiled.Eb loved to entertain, and he usually invited at least a hundred people.His barbecued beef was legendary in the valley.
In a few moments, his voice boomed into her ear.“Freddy!Gonzales called me about that alfalfa.Your horse okay?I meant to phone you, but I got distracted.Which one was it?”
“Tumbleweed, our little dun mare, and she’ll be okay.Luckily, we got to her in time.”
“I found mold in my alfalfa, too, but I hadn’t given any to my horses, thank God,” Eb said.“Gonzales is giving us credit on a new load, of course.I made sure he’d do that for all of us.”
“Thanks, Eb.Listen, I understand you talked to the environmental engineer who was out here yesterday.”
“Just happened to run into him while I was out riding fence.Nice fella.Hated to tell him about those drums, but he was asking questions, and I’m a lousy liar.”
“Well, I think your memory’s playing tricks on you, Eb.”Freddy put a smile in her voice.“Dad had those hauled out when we stopped using them.Nothing’s buried at the True Love.”
“Freddy, you were only a little thing then.I believe I remember better than you do.He decided not to go to the expense.We didn’t have so many regulations back then, of course.”
“I was ten years old, Eb, and I remember the trucks coming in to haul them away.”
A cajoling note came into Eb’s voice.“I would do anything for you.You know that.But I have to tell the truth.Those drums are still there.”
“Eb, they’re not, either!”
“Well, I hope you have some paperwork to prove it, sweetheart, or somebody will have a little digging to do.”
Freddy sighed.“‘ll look through the files.Talk to you later, Eb.”
“Good luck.By the way, you and Leigh are coming to the party next week, aren’t you?”
“We’ll be there,” she said.“Goodbye now.”She replaced the receiver and stared at the phone.“I know Dad had the drums taken out.”
